Chapter 26
-Maya’s POV-
Everything in my body seized tip. The world seemed to shrink down to a single point – Alex, his
hand wrapped around my waist, his voice a low growl in my ear Silver. He’d called the Silver.
The mor of the bar faded away, reced by a ringing silence. Every eye in the room was locked
on us. Miranda was still sprawled on the floor, a guttural stream of curses erupting from her
bloodied mouth. In that moment, I almost felt a flicker of satisfaction. She deserved worse.
His scent washed over me, sending a purr through my wolf’s core then the warmth of his body
against mine vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving a hollowness in its wake as he
moved away. Even after all this time, it was still him.
A sharp voice sliced through the fog clouding my mind. Riley. Right, Riley was here. “I’m so sorry,
Amaya,” she said, her voice strained, “But you need to go. My manager will be out any second.”
My mind was a jumbled mess. I didn’t know what to do, where to go. Then, Natalia’s hand mped
onto my arm, a firm grip that tugged me back to reality. She gave Alexa withering stare. “Don’t you
dare touch her again,” she spat.
She dragged me away, our path taking us directly over Miranda, who shrieked at Alex, demanding
he help her up. He remained frozen, a mirror image of my own paralysis. He knew what he’d done.
Silver. The word echoed in my head, a single syble loaded with a lifetime of memories – stolen
moments, whispered promises, a love both fierce and forbidden. I stole onest nce over my
shoulder. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unwavering, even as I was pulled out of the bar
and into the cool night air,
The sudden change in temperature sent a gasp through me. “Are you okay?” Natalia’s voice cut
through the fog of emotions swirling within me.
“Silver.” Irasped, “He called me Silver.”
Her gaze held a depth of empathy that made my chest tighten. She shook her head slowly, as if
searching for the right words, then sighed. “Let’s just get you home, Maya,” she said gently. “We
can deal with all thister.
The deadbolt clicked open, revealing Nathan’s smiling face. His smile faltered the moment he saw
mine. His eyes flickered between me and Natalia, concern etching lines onto his forehead.
“Drinks gone wrong?” he asked gently, his smile reced with a cautious concern.
I practically melted into him as he pulled me inside. Natalia took a seat on the opposite couch, a
silent observer. Nathan knew me well enough not to pry in that moment. He just held me close, his
strong arms aforting anchor in the storm that was my emotions.
We’d met in college, bonded by the shared secret that pulsed deep within us-all three of us were
werewolves. Nathan, the former college basketball star, had a way with using his enhanced abilities
to his advantage on the court, making him a ma for female attention. Natalia hadn’t been
immune to his charm. Their story was aplicated one, filled with unspoken feelings and missed
opportunities. Finally, I’d taken matters into my own hands, literally, and punched some sense into
Nathan. He needed to man up and tell Natalia how he felt, or let her go. Thankfully, he’d chosen the
former, and now, yearster, they were happily married and I don’t know what I have done without
them.
His fingers brushed against my hair, sending a familiar tingle down my spine. “What happened?” he
asked softly.
Natalia snorted, her voiceced with exasperation. “Alex,” she muttered,
I could practically feel the temperature in the room drop as Nathan tensed. A low growl rumbled
deep within his chest, “Of course it was,” he muttered under his breath. “Why can’t he just leave you
alone? You’re trying to move on with your life,”
There were no easy answers. For my part, I was exhausted. Exhausted by the constant tug-of-war
between Alex, Ivan, and that infuriating Miranda. Now,
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Chapter 26
Thu, 20 Jun
to top it all off, I had a whole new mess to deal with one that involved my father finding out I’d
beaten up Ivan’s precious little sister,
“She had iting.” Natalia dered, seemingly reading my mind.
Nathan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise “Who had iting?”
Natalia gave him a quick rundown of the situation, her voiceced with barely contained excitement.
She couldn’t resist adding des about how “amazing” it had been when I’d “who p d Miranda’s a .” I
knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah,” admitted with a wry grin, it did feel pretty good. I could have ripped out every single one of
those fake blonde extensions.”
I pushed myself back from Nathan’sforting embrace, a groan escaping my lips as I buried my
face in my hands. The weight of the evening, the encounter with Alex, the raw emotions it had
unearthed-it all threatened to overwhelm me. “What am I going to do?” I mumbled into my palms,
my voice m u f l d. “Alex… he’s driving me crazy.”
“You mean wanting him is driving you crazy,” Natalia’s voice cut through.
I whipped my head up, ring at her. My mouth opened to defend myself, to deny the truth that
hung heavy in the air, but she cut me off before a single word could escape. “Don’t even try to deny
it, Amaya,” she said, her excitement dying down immediately. “It’s written all over you, and frankly,
it’s exhausting to watch you torture yourself like this.”
“You need to make a decision,” She continued, her voice softening slightly. “Ivan’s still there,
offering you the world, you said. And then there’s Alex, the one who walked away without a
backward nce, leaving you pregnant and heartbroken, with nothing but broken promises echoing
in your ears.”
“Natalia,” Nathan tried to interrupt.
“She needs to hear this, babe. It’s the hard truth, but someone needs to say it.”
Shetook a deep breath, her voice hardening with resolve. “He’s getting married, Amaya. Getting
married. He chose someone else. He threw you away when you needed him most, with no
exnation, no apology. You. Have. To. Let Him, Go.”
Her words were a punch to the gut, a reminder of the reality I desperately wanted to escape. They
were harsh,ced with anger on my behalf, but undeniably true. I knew it. As the weight of her
words settled in, a wave of despair washed over me. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill
over. Natalia must have sensed my crumbling resolve because she was beside me in an instant,
pulling me into a tight embrace. “I know,” she murmured, her voice thick with sympathy. “I know you
love him. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. Sometimes, you have to choose yourself. It’s time you
let him go.”
She held me close, her arms a silent source of strength as I clung to her, the s s wracking my body
slowly subsiding into sniffles. When I finally pulled back, wiping at my damp cheeks with the back of
my hand, her gaze held a mixture of concern and fierce determination,
“Listen to me, Amaya,” she said, her voice gentle but firm. “This new job you got, that’s a good
thing. A fresh start, a chance to build something new for yourself. Focus on that. Throw yourself into
your work, prove yourself. Don’t let Alex distract you from that.”
“I know. I just… I don’t know how to move on when a part of me feels stuck in the past.”
She squeezed my hand gently. “You move on one step at a time. And right now, that step is
focusing on yourself. On your career, your kids, on the people who are there for you, who love you
unconditionally and even there’s Ivan. You’ve been so focused on Alex that you’ve neglected the
rtionship you have with him.”
“I know,” I mumbled, defeated. “I just…”
The words trailed off as my phone pierced the silence with its insistent ringing. I nced at the
screen, a jolt of surprise shooting through me as I saw Ivan’s name shing on the disy.
“Speaking of him,” I muttered, a nervousugh escaping my lips before I answered the call.
“Hey,” I greeted, forcing a lightness into my voice that I didn’t quite feel. “I am so, so sorry about
everything. I know we need to talk, and I promise I’ll
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Chapter 26
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My words were cut short by a sharp, urgent voice on the other end of the line. “Amaya, stop,” He
said, his voice clipped and uncharacteristically tense. “We can talk about thatter. Right now, I’ve
been trying to reach you all night, Where are you?”
“I’m at… I’m at Natalia’s ce. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“I’ming to get you.” This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
“Wait.” I stammered, a knot of dread forming in my stomach. “What’s happening?”
There was a beat of silence before Ivan spoke again, his voice a low growl. “Your father. He’s been
arrested. He is being investigated by the FBI.”